


(I Surrender) To the Strawberry Ice Cream

by Jingle



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: (Blue Diamond's Pearl), Action/Adventure, Alternate Character Interpretation, Escape, Fights, Friendship, Happy Ending, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Romance, Slash, Spoilers, Spoilers for Episode: s05e01-04 Wanted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 18:26:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11469180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jingle/pseuds/Jingle
Summary: Spoilers for the "Wanted" special. Steven and the Off-Colors make a plan to escape Homeworld. Along the way, certain feelings come to light.The title is dumb and more or less irrelevant except for... Well, you know.





	(I Surrender) To the Strawberry Ice Cream

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fenellaevangela](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fenellaevangela/gifts).



The first time Steven came back to Homeworld to visit Lars and the Off Colors, Lars hugged him without hesitation. “Oh!” Padparadscha had exclaimed. “Steven is going to come to see us!” The two boys had been able to laugh at that, at least, before the conversation turned to more serious things: Getting Lars and the Off Colors back to Earth, yes, but first…

“I’m sorry I got you stuck here, Lars,” said Steven, sitting beside his friend.

“You didn’t get me stuck here, Steven. If I hadn’t run away from Topaz on the ship…” Lars shook his head with a bittersweet smile on his face. “But I’m glad you weren’t here alone.” He hated to think about what would have happened if Steven hadn’t had someone there with him; if events had gone differently at all and Steven had been stuck here, instead - or worse.

And, honestly, he hated to think of not having this chance to grow. Living with the Off Colors was rarely an easy experience, but Lars was well-aware of the fact that it was making him a better person. Besides, they'd become dear friends to him.

“Not to interrupt, but shouldn’t we be coming up with a plan to get to safety?” Rhodonite asked.

“Rhodnoite, don’t worry,” one of the Rutile twins said, before the other added.

“Yes, be calm.”

“I am sure there’s time for Lars and Steven to catch up,” Fluorite said slowly, and Lars smiled up at her. How he’d ever found her menacing, he now couldn’t say - she was so patient and kind.

“No,” he said, “Rhodonite’s right. We better start on a plan.” Steven smiled at Lars and patted his hand, and Lars looked away in embarrassment. He wasn’t used to people being proud of him, honestly, and it felt a little strange. He cleared his throat. “Rhodonite, did your - I mean, did Ruby and Pearl’s Morganite have a ship?”

“Oh, good thinking, Lars!” Steven said. “She had to be pretty important to have a Pearl.” He made a face of displeasure at the word ‘have’.

“Ooh, she did - I mean, she _does_!” Rhodonite nodded, clasping her hands together. Then her face fell in horror. “You want us to steal from our Morganite?”

Lars raised his eyebrows. “Well… Yeah. I mean, not just you, but… We’ll know for sure where to find a ship that way. Besides, why _shouldn’t_ you steal from her? She never did you any favors.”

“It’s more complicated than that, Lars,” Steven said gently. Lars bit his lower lip and glanced at Rhodonite.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I mean,” Rhodonite paused to laugh nervously, “you’re right! It’s the best way to get a ship! It’s just…”

“Scary,” said one Rutile twin.

“Frightening,” said the other, at nearly the same time. They smiled at one another, despite the situation.

“Rhodonite, you don’t have to do anything that will-”

“No!” Rhodonite cut in firmly. “No, I’m done being scared of her!”

Lars beamed, as did Steven, who said, “Way to go, Rhodonite!”

* * *

As the group - now with a plan - made their way up towards Homeworld’s surface, Lars reached for Steven’s hand to give himself courage for what was coming. He knew that as they left the abandoned Kindergarten, he’d have to be on guard constantly for the robots tracking Steven and the other Off Colors.

Rhodonite was mumbling to herself nervously, making somewhat frantic gestures with her hands, and without giving it much thought, Lars reached to take one of them in his hand, as well. He wished he could tell her it was going to be okay, but he didn’t really know if it would, so instead, he said, “I’m gonna do everything I can for you guys.”

“We all will!” Padparadscha added, which would have been more comforting were it a prediction of the future, but at the same time, Padparadscha always made Lars smile - especially when she spoke beyond making a late prediction.

Once, when Padparadscha had been playing a game with the Rutile twins, Rhodonite had told Lars that she suspected Padparadscha rarely spoke outside of her predictions because she was still hoping that if she tried enough, she’d predict something others didn’t already know. In the same conversation, Rhodonite had speculated that the Rutile twins echoed one another so often because they still had trouble with their individual identities. Rhodonite, when not panicking, was insightful like that.

Lars didn’t realize he was still smiling over Padparadscha’s words when Steven made an amused sound. He looked over. “What’s so funny?”

“It’s not really _funny_. I just remember when you hardly ever smiled.”

“I smiled sometimes!” Lars protested good-naturedly.

“Oh, I know,” Steven said matter-of-factly, and Lars wasn’t at all sure why that made his face heat up.

The rest of their ascent passed rather quietly, Rhodonite seemingly calmed by Lars and Padparadscha’s support. The group managed to emerge onto the surface without being noticed… For about half a minute. Fluorite _did_ kind of stick out like a sore thumb. 

But as part of Blue Diamond’s Ruby army closed in on them all, Lars reminded himself that it was okay - this was part of the plan. Steven and Rhodonite managed to break off from the others without the Rubies noticing. Fluorite had been willing to be a distraction on her own, but no one had agreed to that. Still, they needed Rhodonite’s knowledge of the area, and they couldn’t risk Steven being caught by the Diamonds.

“Alright, let’s go,” Lars said. The Rutiles reached into his hair - and that still felt as weird as ever for someone to do - and handed Lars a baseball bat. He swung the ‘weapon’ over his shoulder with a cocky grin. “Perfect.”

The Rubies looked at one another, baffled, and Lars wasn’t sure if that was about his baseball bat or the Off Colors, but it didn’t matter. He leapt high into the air and knocked back two Rubies with one swing, before all half-dozen of them could fuse together. One of the remaining Rubies ran back to retrieve her fallen comrades, and the other three jumped together, forming a Fusion.

The fused Ruby pulled one hand back, ready to smash Lars into the ground, but Fluorite - able to move more swiftly than she was able to speak - slid between them and grabbed Ruby’s massive fist in three of her own hands. Lars couldn’t help gaping - he’d never really realized just how strong she was.

However, he shook off the stupor quickly when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Go help the others!” the Rutile twins chorused.

“What?! No way! You guys need-”

One of the twins reached for the bat, and cut Lars off. “The sooner you all get the ship…”

“...The more likely we’ll be safe.’

Lars made a determined face and nodded. He didn’t like this, but they did have a good point, so he gave the twins the baseball bat and ran off in the direction he’d seen Rhodonite and Steven head in. Catching up with his the two of them didn’t take too long, which would have been a good thing - except the only reason he caught up with them so fast was that they’d been found and stopped by a Gem. Lars was fairly sure he recognized the pale Blue woman from the trial, but she’d appeared far more demure at that time.

Now, she was closing in on Steven, and even though her hair covered her eyes, Lars could tell she was in a rage.

“... And all of my Diamond’s pain! It’s all because of _you_!” Blue Pearl was whispering in a harsh tone as Lars creeped closer. He caught a look of guilt on Steven’s face, and it caused a knot in his stomach. It wasn’t fair that everyone kept making Steven feel bad for things his mother had done. Or maybe hadn’t - the trial had been really confusing.

Regardless, Lars was sick of Steven being treated that way. He ran up to Blue Pearl - paying no mind to Steven calling out his name in fear - and shouted in her face, “Get away from him!”

Blue Pearl looked taken aback, and he menacing air melted away for the time being. “The human?” Her petite hands balled up into fists. “What’s going on? First a Fusion and Rose Quartz-”

“Steven isn’t Rose Quartz!” Lars snapped, picking up a clod of dirt from the ground and throwing it in Blue Pearl’s face. That had, perhaps, been a mistake.

“Lars, she’s just-” Steven began, but he stopped and gasped as Blue Pearl grabbed Lars by one extended earlobe and threw him to the ground.

That was when Rhodonite, who had seemed to just be muttering to herself from nerves once again, split up into a Ruby and a Pink Pearl.

“Blue, stop it!” Pink Pearl cried out. Blue Pearl glared through her dirtied bangs, so angry that she didn’t grab Steven as he ran up and crouched besides Lars.

“Are you okay?” Steven asked.

Lars managed a smile. “I’m pretty sure I can’t be… _Not_ okay, thanks to you.” Steven’s eyes began to water, and Lars reached up towards the top of his friend’s head before he realized he had no idea what the heck he was _doing_. His hands barely brushed the tip of Steven’s curls, and he blushed furiously. There wasn’t time to question it. “Is Rhodonite okay?”

“She unfused.”

Lars’ eyes widened, and he slowly sat up to see that Blue Pearl had walked over to Pink Pearl, who was doing her very best to stand tall. However, her knees knocked together, and clearly Lars wasn’t the only one who noticed it. Ruby ran up and grabbed Pink Pearl’s hand.

“It’s okay. I’m here, I’m here. It’s okay.”

“Stop doing that,” Blue Pearl said, now sounding more uncomfortable than angry.

“Blue, I know how scary things have been, but we… We can be more than Pearls. I mean, we Pearls can be more than servants! We can be _loved_!”

“N-no… We can’t…” Blue Pearl trailed off.

“Blue Pearl, don’t be scared of it. It’s so beautiful,” Ruby said. “Being Rhodonite is-”

“Stop it!” Blue Pearl shouted, her mood shifting abruptly yet again. “Stop trying to- You’re _wrong_ , and I’m not here for you two, anyway! I’m here for _her_.” Blue turned back to Steven.

“You’re the one who’s wrong, Blue,” Pink Pearl stated, as she quickly drew Ruby closer to her, and the two were enveloped in light.

“We’re not two. We’re one,” Rhodonite said, freshly reformed - though she looked slightly different in a way Lars couldn’t place. He got to his feet as Rhodonite leapt at Blue Pearl from behind, grabbing onto her shoulders to hold her back from Steven. “Go, you two!”

“But-” Steven and Lars protested together.

“I’ve got this!” Rhodonite said, and she smiled with a confidence Lars had never seen on her before. So he grabbed Steven’s hand, and they ran off to the hangar that Rhodonite had told them about. It would be harder to get there without her, but from there, not impossible.

“Had you ever seen met Pink Pearl and Ruby before?” Steven asked as he and Lars snuck towards Morganite’s sizable property, which - unless things had changed, as Rhodonite had pointed out - should include her hangar.

“No,” Lars said, “but Steven, you know… That blue lady was wrong. Nothing your mom did is your fault. You’re not her.”

“I know. I mean… I guess I do? Except… I kind of am her. It’s really confusing.” Steven’s shoulders slumped, and Lars stopped for a moment, kneeling down in front of him. He put his hands on Steven’s arms.

“I don’t think it’s confusing. You’re Steven Universe, dummy. That’s all there is to it.” Steven threw his arms around Lars’ neck, and Lars gave a small start before returning the hug. “And I’m really glad you’re here.”

“I'm glad I am, too,” Steven whispered.

“Don’t be stupid. No, you’re not.”

Steven pulled back, wiping one eye with the heel of his hand. “Really, I am. I was worried… And I missed you.”

Lars rolled his eyes, though the action was a bit forced. “Alright, enough of that. Let’s go.” Steven nodded, but gave Lars another hug before the two of them continued to sneak.

“So, do you think we’re getting close to this Morganite person’s-” Lars began, but then they rounded a shadowy corner, and a set of large pink buildings came into view, guarded by several Rubies. “Nevermind.”

“How are we going to get past the Rubies, though?” Steven wondered aloud. “I guess I didn’t think of that part…”

Lars just stretched his arms over his head. “If the Diamonds weren’t looking for me before, they sure are now. I’ll go out there and distract them. You get into the hangar.”

“What? No way! Lars, you can’t! What if-”

“What if _what_? Steven, you know I’ll be fine.”

“I guess, but if you’re not… Besides, you’ve already done so much for me.”

Lars shrugged. “It’s fine, Steven. When you get a second chance at life, it does inspire you to be a better person.”

Steven shook his head. “Lars, this is who you’ve always been. You don’t have to keep saying it’s just because of what I did. I’ve always seen this part of you.”

“Even when I was a jerk about your mom?” Lars asked, brow furrowed. His expression of confusion only grew when Steven actually _laughed_.

“Yeah! I mean, that was bad. Everyone has bad moments.”

“I guess…”

“Lars, there’s reason that I… That you’re one of my best friends. I always look for the beauty in everyone, and sometimes it’s not that easy to see. But it was with you.”

“Seriously, dude?” Lars asked, wishing his voice hadn’t chosen that moment to crack.

“Sure. For me, it was always right there.”

“Steven, you’re going to make me- Ugh.” Lars laughed weakly, wiping his teary eyes with his fists. “Okay, come on. I’m going out there, and you’re getting that ship.”

“Wait, Lars!” Steven grabbed Lars’ hands as he began to move towards the Rubies.

“Steven, you’re not going to convince me-”

Steven tugged Lars down close, and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“... _Oh_ ,” Lars said, softly, because suddenly a whole lot made sense.

“It was always right there,” Steven said again, before wincing. “Sorry, I should have asked before I- Was that okay?”

“Yeah,” Lars said with a smirk. “I’ll see you really soon, Steven.”

Steven looked uncertain for just a moment, then smiled and nodded, and the two split.

Lars ran out into view of the Rubies, and even though he truly did believe in Steven, he did wish he still had his baseball bat on him. At least he was considerably stronger now, so breaking up the Rubies as they tried to fuse wasn’t all that tricky… But there were more than six of them, this time, and he could only keep track of so many at once.

So it was pretty lucky that a small, pale pink ship skidded out of the hangar when it did.

“Get in, Lars!” Steven called. Lars raced for the cockpit, and was able to leap in without any Rubies getting in, as well. They were off.

“We have to pick up the others fast!” Lars said, suddenly feeling a pang of guilt over the emotional bonding he and Steven had shared while their friends were in danger. Looking at Steven’s face, he could tell Steven had the same thought, so he slid behind Steven in his seat and hugged him tightly.

“Heat of the moment,” he whispered in Steven’s ear.

Steven smiled shakily. “Right. Um, I’m not totally sure how to fly this… But I think we’ll be okay!”

“You _think_?” Lars yelped as the ship jerked around a corner, narrowly avoiding crashing into a building.

“Well, yeah. I mean, last time I-”

“Rhodonite!” Lars interrupted. Steven managed to stop the ship as Rhodonite ran toward it. She hopped inside and Lars stood to hug her. “You got away from Blue Pearl!”

“I _fought_ Blue Pearl! I mean, I’m not proud of it… Except I kind of am!” she giggled.

“She’s okay, though, right?” Steven asked.

“Of course! I just had to get away from her.”

“Rhodonite, can you fly this ship?” Lars asked, hurriedly. Rhodonite smiled.

“Well, it’s been a while, but I’ll give it a shot!” Rhodonite took over the controls, and soon the going was far more smooth. They picked up speed, and made it to the spot where Fluorite, the Rutile twins, and Padparadscha were still fighting off the three-Ruby Fusion, which had by then been joined by another of the same.

“Lars!” Padparadscha panted as he quickly reached down to help her into the ship. “I am so happy for you!”

“Oh, yeah?” Lars asked as the ship lifted up from Homeworld, all of the Off-Colors now aboard. “Why’s that?”

“I have had a wonderful vision that you will finally realize how you care for Steven!”

Lars grinned and hugged her. “I can’t wait.”

* * *

With help from Fluorite, Rhodonite got the ship working properly to quickly and safely get them all to Earth; Steven helped with coordinates. Still, even with the great time they were allegedly making, Lars was surprised.

“Can’t we just do something like… Warp Speed, or whatever?”

“It doesn’t work quite like that,” Steven admitted. “But it shouldn’t take much more than eleven minutes.”

“I guess I’m just itching to get back home... Man, it’s gonna be weird, though. I mean, how are people going to react to the whole pink thing?!”

Steven sat down on the ship’s floor, beside Lars, and placed a hand on his knee. “Well, I think it looks good.” he said in earnest.

Lars smiled at him. “Steven… I’m sorry I never noticed before.”

“Don’t be. I think the timing had to be right.”

“Maybe,” Lars admitted. He leaned in towards Steven. “Um, so… Can I?”

“Yes. I’d like that.”

He shyly kissed the corner of Steven’s mouth. This really did add yet another layer of complication to everything else going on in Lars’ crazy life.

And that was just fine.


End file.
